The expanse of the mission placed by the Church of Russia slowly expanded from the distant outpost in Alaska to a diocese that covered Alaska and the eastern expanse of northern Siberia. This diocese then developed two vicariates that eventually became separate dioceses. This list of hierarchs presents those bishops who provided the leadership in the development of this mission in North America until the mission was granted its autocephaly.

Starting as a vicariate in a distant diocese, the mission soon became part of the large missionary diocese that included Alaska and the northeastern part of Siberia where initially the seat of the ruling bishop was in Alaska but was moved to Siberia before Alaska was sold to the United States. After the sale of Alaska the vicariate in Alaska was reformed as an autonomous diocese with the bishop’s seat moved to California, outside the territory of Alaska. With the growth of the Orthodox population in the eastern part of North America, the name of the diocese was changed to include all North America and the ruling bishop’s seat was moved to New York. As the diocese grew auxiliary bishops were consecrated to cover the vast area and the cultural needs of the faithful. In the closing decades of the mission many of the auxiliary bishops began to function as autonomous dioceses.